St Jack and the Dragen of Kraaken V
by Tweetie Pie
Summary: Summary: Jack has a sick little boy to cheer up and uses one of his more unusual adventures to do so. Written for a story exchange.


Author's Notes (if any): Dragen is deliberately misspelled. My wish list read: Light on the angst, a kiss, humour – I don't own Jack Harness (I WISH!), nor the characters from Torchwood, Doctor Who and Princess Bride. I don't even own the story of St George and The Dragon, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

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Jack emerged into the room, temporarily blinded by the darkness that shrouded it. He eventually could see a slit of light through the curtained window and it was then that he could see the supine body beside it. Small enough to be virtually invisible unless you knew he was there.

"Jack?" whispered Gwen as she watched from the doorway.

"Shhh..." Jack said, turning slightly with a faint smile on his lips. "I've got this, you go back."

Another voice, slurred with the touch of sleep emerged "Uncle Jack?"

Jack smiled, sliding into a chair at the bedside of Gwen's nephew. "Yeah, Sam. I'm here."

Gwen smiled, then turned back to the living room where her brother waited.

Jack reached up, brushing some of the light-brown hair from Sam's face and he smiled gently. "You feelin' any better, now?"

"It still hurts, Uncle Jack, but it's not in my head any more. I can't hear it any more."

"Good." Jack made to move, but Sam reached out and caught the thick wool of Jack's coat.

"Tell me a story, Uncle Jack? I want to hear about how you got rid of the monsters..."

Jack sighed very softly, then turned his eyes back to the figure. "You want a story about how monsters are killed?" The boy nodded, the movement almost lost in the darkness. "Well, tell ya what. Let me open these curtains and I've got just the right one for you."

Reaching over the narrow bed, Jack pulled aside the curtain to reveal the moon in all of her glory. A cloud scudded across the midnight sky and obscured her face for a moment.

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The sanguine moon boiled over the cloud, spilling its light over the lurid landscape below as something materialised in the night. The thing was dark, except for the faint lights that came from the square windows around the top of each side. A light revolved atop the pinnacle of the TARDIS as, accompanied by the voice of the universe, she finally resolved into the familiar police phone box.

Inside, Jack, Rose and a youthful Doctor were giggling at a joke that Rose had just finished. Rolling off the chair he'd appropriated, Jack walked up behind the Doctor and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "So where'd she drop us this time?"

With a grin, The Doctor looked up at Jack and shrugged. "Says it's the small planet of Kraaken V. I seem to remember it's quite a backwater, really. Not much to see here, but then, there's obviously something we need to know about. Oh, and it's raining."

"So?" Rose called from her side of the TARDIS. "We gonna take a walk around until trouble finds us?"

"As usual," grinned Jack, who turned and went to fetch their coats.

"Humans are always so cynical!" joked the Doctor, as Jack handed him the long trench coat he'd become rather fond of. "I think that's what I love about you lot!"

They all exchanged a grin and Rose moved to the door. Opening it, she shivered. "It's cold," she muttered, pulling her parka closer.

Jack moved to her right side and slipped an arm over her shoulders, while the Doctor moved up to her left side and slipped an arm around her waist. "We can't walk around like this, though," joked Jack.

"It's a bit further from this sun than Earth, Rose, so it's a lot colder. Thing is, it's also night-time. I guess we could wait inside until the morning, if you prefer?"

"Nah." She grinned, glancing first to one man, then the other. "It's not as if it's the first cold planet you guys have taken me to."

Jack laughed softly, then leaned in to kiss Rose's forehead. She shivered as his warm breath left a cold spot, but then the Doctor was already off.

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"Uncle Jack?" Sam queried quietly, unwilling to interrupt this story, but he really wanted to hear the action, of fights against evil monsters, of good triumphing. "Are you gonna get to the monsters, soon? I mean... it's not like it's boring, but I'd like to hear about this monster you mentioned?"

Jack paused, a little taken aback by this, but then he smiled, and gently brushed a thumb over Sam's cheek "Yeah, no problem. I can always skip forward a bit... let's see. So the three of us got to the village, where they had a problem. Y'see, there was a monster that called himself the Dragen of Kraaken V and he needed young girls to be able to live."

"What'd he do with them?"

"Well, that's what we were gonna find out. Especially when Rose got chosen to be his next victim. That's when I got my sword." He smiled down at the young boy.

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"What?" screeched Rose, struggling against the strong arms of the soldiers that held her. "I'm not supposed to be..." She glanced to the side at the Doctor "Tell them, Doctor! I don't live here, they can't choose me to ... to be the next victim?!?"

"Actually... Uhhhh..." The Doctor's prevarications, which were surprisingly unusual, were starting to annoy Rose and Jack.

Jack surged forward, trying to reach Rose and help her, but the three men who were sitting on his back and legs were just too heavy. "You're gonna regret this," growled Jack.

The chieftain stepped forward and knelt beside Jack, lowering his face so that Jack could see how earnest he was. "Listen to me, Captain," he said, quietly, his voice barely masking the regret he felt. "If we don't provide the Dragen with fresh help, he's going to destroy the village."

"And if you send Rose to this... this Dragen, I'll..."

"Jack!" yelled the Doctor, cutting off the threat. "There must be some way we can come to an arrangement?" said the Doctor, unrestrained and walking towards the chieftain. "I mean, we're visitors, surely your customs mean that we can't be included."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but as it stands we have very few ladies left. We did contest the choice, but our Gods have spoken, your friend must be taken as a bride-sacrifice."

"But..." The Doctor turned to Jack and shook his head slightly. Jack subsided once more, letting the weight of his captors hold him down.

The Chieftain nodded once then stood. "Good. Take her to the bridal chambers, let her be prepared."

"I don't want to get married," Rose yelled, but her struggles were reduced as she realised that they would do no good.

"Can my friend and I have a quiet room to speak, Chief?" the Doctor asked as he moved to stand beside Jack. "I think that we need to have a talk, if that's OK?"

"Certainly. After all you are still our guests and thereby we owe you much in the way of respect. The guards will take you to a room you can use for your own."

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When they were alone, Jack turned on the Doctor. "Doctor, I could have taken them!"

"No, Jack. I've seen these Dragen before. The Chieftain is right. If they don't follow the ritual then the entire planet will be burned. You've heard the term scorched-earth, right?"

"I don't like this, Doctor."

Reaching forward, the Doctor took Jack's hand and looked deep into his eyes. "Listen to me. We can make this work out. All it takes is a hero."

Jack turned, pulling his hand away. "You can't expect me to..."

"Jack, you're able to withstand a huge amount of damage to your body. You're all but immortal. At least think about it?"

"Yeah, but single combat ain't exactly what I'd call a solution."

"You don't know the Dragen, Jack. They're voracious, in a LOT of ways."

The Doctor stood and moved to stand before Jack. "I'm asking this for Rose and for us, Jack. I don't usually condone fighting, but in this case I think it's the only way. We need a champion, a hero. You're by far the best choice I can see."

Standing, Jack looked at the younger man, wanting to be angry. But in the face of the implacably calm Doctor, he shook his head and laughed wryly. "As long as I'm not expected to dress like a can of sardines while I face this Dragen, then I guess I'm your man."

The Doctor grinned, then leaned forward to kiss Jack. As their lips met...

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"Ewwww!" Sam interrupted "I don't like kissy bits, Uncle Jack. Can't we just moveon to the fight?"

Jack laughed softly, then shook his head. "Got me there, Squirt. All right, the fight it is."

Jack raised his head, looking out over the suburban vista, and he smiled a little as he remembered that kiss. The Doctor was possibly the only man that Jack could never forget. But then, maybe that was the way Jack wanted it.

"Uncle Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack tore his thoughts away from memory back to the young boy beside him.

"Why isn't Aunty Gwen in this story?"

Jack smiled "Because your Aunty is too clever to get herself into such a mess." He said. Inwardly, he winced, because that was unfair to Rose, but Gwen would never have let herself be caught up in this web of disaster.

From the doorway, Gwen smiled fondly, then moved back into the lounge again.

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Rose struggled in vain against the shackles that held her fast to the granite wall of the valley. Jack turned with a sympathetic smile. "It'll all be over soon, Rose. Don't worry. We can do this." The words were partially to comfort Rose, but also to help Jack bolster his own wits.

"Not with me chained here, iwe/i can't."

Jack sighed softly, then moved closer to touch her face lightly. "I wouldn't do this for just anyone, Rose." He paused, then leant closer, kissing her lips lightly. "You look absolutely beautiful," he murmered, then stepped back to regard her.

In fact, Rose looked stunning. Dressed in a flowing, gauzy white wedding gown, her hair was expertly plaited and curled around her face in a way that made her appear more like the "Lady of the Lake" than "Rose of Peckham". Jack smiled, until a movement pulled his attention back to the present.

Instinctively, his hands curled around the butt of his gun and the hilt of the sword that the locals had insisted he use. He could see why. The Dragen was huge. Towering nearly twenty feet high, the beast crawled on its belly over rock and sand, slithering like a huge snake. But the eyes caught Jack's attention. Bilious and red at the same time. The creature's eyes were the stuff of nightmares.

Jack drew his gun, trying not to let the nerves that were clawing at his belly distract him. He'd faced Abaddon. This creature shouldn't be a problem for someone who had destroyed a legend.

Raising the gun and sighting along the barrel, he aimed at one of those baleful eyes. If he missed, Rose could die. If he hit they would live.

"It's allergic to cold steel, Jack," The Doctor had said, as he helped Jack figure out how to wear the sword harness. "That means your bullets may well kill it, if you can get one inside its body. Go for the eyes. That's really the only weak point something like the Dragen has. But for the sake of all that's holy, don't miss."

Now, faced with the approach of this harbinger of death and pain, Jack fought back the trembling fear that would rob him of clarity. He took a deep breath, held it, then fired.

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"And that's when I swung my sword and cut off the Dragen's head," Jack was elaborating… but the boy had wanted to hear a tale about heroes, dragons and real knights in armour.

He paused, looking down at Sam. A satisfied smile lingered on the young boy's resting face. Jack moved to stand, as it seemed the child was asleep finally, so he didn't need to continue the story.

"Uncle Jack?" the boy queried as Jack came to his full height "Why'd you stop?"

"I didn't think you were still awake, Sam."

"I was! You just killed the monster, but what happened afterwards?"

Jack laughed and sat again. "Just kissy bits, Sam. Nothing you need to hear about."

"I don't know..." the boy squirmed "I don't mind the kissy bits so much... you can finish the story, if you want?"

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"Who would have thought that the blood of a Dragen would smell like... well, Roses!" Jack laughed as he hugged Rose close. Her dress was now a ruby colour, drifting as a cloud about them both as they laughed and held each other close.

"Thank you, Jack." Rose said, placing both hands, slick with Dragen blood, beside his face and kissing him.

The heady scent of the blood filled both of them and the kiss lasted for a long minute. Its aphrodisiac properties causing them both to loose track of time. It wasn't until the arms of the Doctor encircled them that they remembered they were not alone. Both turned to the Doctor who grinned and winked. "Nice shooting, Jack. Shall we get going then?"

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Jack looked down at the boy, who was finally asleep now, then stood, moving away and into the lounge.

"We should go, Gwen." He said, keeping his voice low. "Sam's finally asleep, but he'll be fine."

"Graeme, we'll pop by tomorrow, if that's alright?" Gwen queried of her brother.

"Sure, Gwen. We'll be here. Same time?"

"He'll grow out of the nightmares soon enough." Jack smiled as he shook Graeme's hand. "Don't worry. We won't let them track him again."

"That's good. We were worried, but thank you, Jack."

"See you tomorrow."

Jack turned and headed for the door, while Gwen and Graeme shared a hug.

As they walked along the moonlit street, Gwen took Jack's hand looping it over her shoulders and holding it close. "So how'd the story end?"

Jack grinned, looking down at Gwen, affection shining in his eyes. "As all these stories do. The hero, tired of life on the road, left the company of companions and lovers. He came back to his roots and found one, true love waiting for him. They lived happily ever after." He paused, turning to face Gwen and then took her gently into his arms. "Or, at least, happily until the next disaster," he murmured, lowering his head to hers.

The first touch of their lips was brief, a tasting... then he smiled and their kiss drowned out the rest of the world. 


End file.
